Helena to Greenville
RBD 619.6 Wood Cottage Paddler's Note: One of the biggest and most powerful eddies on the Lower Mississippi RBD. Be especially wary of any tows in this area. Narrow river leaves little room for towboats to navigate. High volume turbulence at base of bend with powerful boils
Helena to Greenville
LBD 619-621 Island 67 Designated Left Bank only because the center line of the river crowds the Arkansas shore around Wood Cottage (619.6). This resplendent sun-drenched island sits middle river with big flowing channels on either side, a very deep main channel that gets crushed towards the shore and
Helena to Greenville
RBD 620.8 Mouth of the Chute of Island 68 Island 68 is completely enveloped by the forests surrounding Jug Harris, but its mouth can be accessed at all but low water levels. Adventurous paddlers will enjoy a glimpse into a primeval world through this narrow chute which opens up
Helena to Greenville
LBD 621-624 Jug Harris Towhead Following the main channel past Mellwood Lake the river is thrust outwards by a prominent point below the 624.8 light for a crossing back to the Mississippi side. If you maintain this channel you will enjoy a fast ride on a boiling tongue of
Helena to Greenville
LBD 624.5 Mouth of DeSoto Lake [CLICK HERE: Map of Island 64, Mellwood Lake, DeSoto Lake] Similar to the mouth of Mellwood Lake but longer, almost a mile from the river to the open lake. Any paddler intending to enter DeSoto Lake (possible take-out) will have to begin planning
Helena to Greenville
LBD 624-627 Sunflower Dikes There is a series of sandbar islands that have grown up along the lower end of the Sunflower Dikes. When the river is below 20HG you can make an easy picnic stop on the last of these but beware any approaching storms for there is no
Helena to Greenville
RBD 625.6 Mouth of Mellwood Lake [CLICK HERE: Map of Island 64, Mellwood Lake, DeSoto Lake] Deep muddy slot (at low water) surrounded by an enchanting scene of overhanging willows, higher up the muddy flats are covered in a delightful forest of sycamores, cottonwoods and silver maples, many draped
Helena to Greenville
RBD 632.5 Fair Landing N34.257784,W-90.838223 Big eddy found RBD at the base of the bend, good sheltered place within eddy to pull into for quick exit from river, good place to seek quick respite from passing tow or approaching storms out of the north. Oftentimes big
Helena to Greenville
LBD 632 Robson Towhead Gravel Bar top end at lowest water levels, possible fossil finding. 2011 flood exposed several trunks of ancient trees that once predominated in the floodplain. Possible picnic place low to medium water levels, as you make landing and later leave out watch for approaching tows. At
Helena to Greenville
RBD 634 Modoc Old River Lake At the outside edge of the very NW crook of the elbow bend Fair Landing is found a narrow mud-bound slot entrance into an old channel of the river now isolated as a parallel lake, Modoc Old River. Birds frequent Modoc Pass, especially waders
Helena to Greenville
LBD 636 Burke's Point Continuing downstream the force of the entire river is propelled outwards and piles against the left bank and is forced Westward, and then slightly North-Westward, gathering speed and momentum as it does, and several miles downstream is forced further outward in a vigorous tongue
Helena to Greenville
LBD 637.5 Island 63 Chute Mark Twain relates an amusing tale set in this channel in his 1883 Life on the Mississippi concerning the steamboat the Skylark. At that time this was the main channel of the river. See chapter XXX Sketches by the Way. Mississippi River Paddlers often